Fire-escape.



L. T. HUNTER.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. 1915.

1 1 9 1 ,790. Patented July 18, 1916 Wt-"nu..."

IEELHEM UNITED STATES PATENT. o FIcn LLOYD T. HUNTER, F REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

, FIRE-ESCAFE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LLOYD T. HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Revere, in the county of Suifolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to fire escapes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of fire escapes and to provide a simple, practical, and reliable fire escape of strong and durable construction, adapted to be cheaply manufactured and capable of lowering persons to the ground with absolute safety.

A further object of'the invention is to provide a fire escape of this character equipped withautomatic controlling means adapted to cause persons of different weights to descend expeditiously at the same rate of speed and capable of gradually reducing the speed as the person'nears the ground.

It is also the object of the invention to provide double acting controlling means of the escapem ent type adapted to cause a step by step rotary movement of a shaft in either direction when the same is subjected to the weight of a person whereby two linesre versely wound around the shaft may be employed so that when one person is descending with one line the other line will be winding around the shaft so as to be in condition for the use of the next person as soon as the one using it reaches the ground, whereby the fire escape will be capable of continuous operation without loss of time.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. 7 Q

In the drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fire escape constructed in accordance with this invention, the casing for the escapement control being in section, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 Specification of Letters Patent; 1

View on the line 3 3 of 2.

L ke numerals of reference designate cor-' responding parts in the several figures of the invention, the frame-of the escape comprises side bars 1, spaced vertically disposed supporting bars 2 located at opposite sides ofthe center of the frame, and top and bottom horizontal connecting bars 8, and 4.

The side barsl and the centralsupporting bars 2 have their terminals 5 and'6 bent at Patented July 18, 1916. Application filed April 23 1915. Serial No. 23,403. I v

' of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional right angles and bolted or otherwise secured to the connecting bars 3 but the frame may .be constructed in any other desiredmanner to; form the substantially oblong spaced frame sections, as will be readily under- 14 which is mounted on atransverse pivot 15 has a forkedlower portion, the sides or arms of which are approximately L-shaped and constitute the said dogs or tappets. The upper portion of the lever constitutes a gravity acting oscillatory arm 16 which is tapered downwardly. The forked portion of the lever straddles the upper portion of the es capement wheel and the teeth of the latter successively engage and alternately contact withthe end of one of the dogs or tappets and the inner face of the other dog or tappet which breaks or checks the movement of the escapement wheel and thereby controls the rotation of the horizontal. shaft 9 causing a step by step partial rotary movement of the same. The teeth of the escapement wheel are tapered and rounded at their outer ends and the depending engaging portions of the dogs or tappets are of a width substantially equal to the length of the teeth and of a length substantially equal to the distance between the teeth so that one tooth of the wheel fits in the angle of the engaged dog or t-appet and is arranged at an acute angle to the inner edge of the same. The rotary movement of the shaft is varied by stood; The side bars and the central suplie varying the weight ofthe upwardly extend"- ing gravity acting oscillatory arm 16 and when the shaft 9 is SllbjBGtBdztO.th6 strainof the weight of a person, the step by step r0- tary movement of the shaft will be constantirrespective of the weight of the person so that. heavy. andlight personswill be lowered to the ground at the same rate of; speed, The escapement mechanism is located within a suitable casing. 17 constructed; of suitable material preferably sheet. metaland: securedbetween the ir neig. vertical supportingbars 2; h to 8 Qf he s ng iplie e a ly curved or arcuate and the upper edge or face f he latqry' grav ty ct ng rm 6, i nr iw d ng y shape as t ean he casing! in. i s bae ward and! orward m ve-r ment to, opposite s des of the perpendicular;

centen of the device. v

' l e ha t-- s quippe Withsversely wound lines 19 of; flat belting or. webbing ut ny when desire c ns e nat on o ine s other s" e n ndarqu da e shaft, so that. when a person reaches, the

ground; the other li t wilh be wound; up and ady l? u y; t is er an me tthe re ap capa e qnt nu s Op r i n s no time is lost inrearr angingthe device for se afte ha c ded pihflen mi Also .as they gravity acting escapement-posi:

ve y eo tr ls he t y. ovement of h shaft, the speed of a person descending will gradually decrease as he approaches the ground; owi11gtothedecrease in the diameter of the roll of the line of belting as a less amount of belting will be unwound from the roll, the length of line unwound from the roll decreasing with the decreasing diameter. of the roll. 'Ilhis will enable a person to land lightly upon the ground without jar or injury.

What is claimed is A fire escape; of the class described including a frame, comprising spaced vertically disposed; oblongframe sectionsand top and: bottom? connecting bars maintaining the framesections in spaced relation, each frame section being. composed of inner, and outer side bars-having, their terminals bent at an angle and; secured; to -the, top and bottom connecting bars and a relatively narrow vertical casing. located at the spaceibetweenthc frame sectionsand;secured to the inner side bars of; the. latter and extending outwardly therefrom. at right angles to the said frame,

horizontal; shaft journaled; in and extending entirely, across the, frame at the lower portion o f the casing, lines reversely wound around the horizontal shaftg at: Opposite sides of the casi g, within the frame. sections and escapement mechanism mounted within the said casing and iconnectedswith the shaft for cont ollingithe rotation thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in, presence oftwo witnesses.

LLQY D T HUNTER. tness s;

Jam E- BY N B munrm S. JONES.

Copies otthisp atent may .beiohtajned formfivercents each, by addressingiche Commissioper, of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

